The King Has Returned.

The Lion King
2019 | PG | 1 Hr 58 Min | Family | Disney

Director: 

Jon Favreau

Writers: 

Jeff Nathanson

Irene Mecchi 

Stars: 

Donald Glover

Beyoncé

Seth Rogen 

Synopsis:

Disney’s The Lion King, directed by Jon Favreau, journeys to the African savanna, where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy, and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

The Circle of Life 

We all love the story of the Lion King but we seem to throw a ton of hate towards these live-action retelling story's. To this day I'm still not sure why? The Lion King flat out looks amazing and quite breathtaking at times. You really lose your self into the pride lands. Disney utilizes pioneering filmmaking techniques to bring treasured characters to life in a whole new way. Honestly, you sometimes question yourself is that real or done on a computer, that is how amazing this movie looks. I do understand that the original movie is pure magic with its wonderful animation and energy it that gets you to dance and sing along with the many musical numbers that are pure joy. Even though the energy for this one is a little lackluster the love and magic are still all around. 

Life's Not Fair

The all-star cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala. James Earl Jones who is the strongest actor playing Mufasa and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar who helps keep a stronger pace with the original. Where this movie falls flat for me and many others I assume would be Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon. Nothing and I mean nothing was as heartwarming as Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella they alone made the 1994 Lion King one of the greatest movies of all time. Rogen is ok he has some good moments but sadly Eichner was really flat. In fact, his performance at times made him push his inner Lane too much. Trust me this being the one weak link is still not that bad!

I Just Can't Wait To Be King!

The early 90s were a magical time for Disney animation and with hits like Aladdin and Lion King coming to life 2019 it was a fantastic year for Disney. Lion King's story is still one of the best and retold frame by frame. This time around we are treated to stunning new animation that pops off the screen. With the same catchy show tunes, this 2-hour flick really flys by. It's so much fun to revisit our friends at Pride Rock that your family will enjoy every moment. For the younger generation this being their Lion King I'm ok with that but make sure to take some time down the road and share the classic from 1994 with them.

Hakuna Matata

From the early cartoon series, the greatest pre-qual (Lion King 1 1/2), and Broadway magic Lion King will live on for a long long time. So many generations will enjoy this story in one fashion or another. For so many of us, Lion King is one of the greatest stories ever told. And the 2019 version is just as magical as the rest and for a generation that has moved away from traditional art this is a welcomed retelling that will be around to please their younger generation as well. This cinematic marvel should not be skipped by us the older generation. Lion King is now streaming on Disney+.

4 out of 5